Disease Control Archive Detail

Foodborne Illnesses

What are foodborne illnesses? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 76 million Americans get sick, more than 300,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 people die from foodborne illnesses each year. Most of these can be linked to 4 common types of bacteria:

Salmonella (sal-mo-nel´ah)

E. Coli (e ko´ li)

Campylobacter (kam′ p?-lo-bak´ t?r)

Listeriosis (lis-ter-i-o′ sis)

How are these illnesses spread? These bacteria can contaminate foods and drinks, and when consumed, can make a person ill.

Foodborne illnesses are spread in a variety of ways. The most common include:

Raw meat and poultry

Raw eggs

Unpasteurized milk and juices

Raw shellfish

What are the symptoms? Most foodborne illnesses are very mild and symptoms may last only a day or two. Mild symptoms include: diarrhea, stomach pain, fever, nausea or vomiting.

What should you do if you think you have a foodborne illness? A foodborne illness can be very serious, especially in the very young, in women who are pregnant, in the elderly and anyone with a lowered immune system.

You should call your doctor if you have:

high fever

bloody stools

prolonged vomiting

signs of dehydration, or

diarrhea lasting longer than 3 days

How can this be prevented? There are some simple things that you can do to prevent foodborne illness:

Cook meat, poultry and eggs well.

Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F.

Eggs should be cooked until the yolk is firm.

Always wash your hands, utensils, and cutting boards after they touch raw meat or poultry and before they touch another food.

Put cooked meat on a clean plate, rather back on one that held the raw meat.

Refrigerate leftover foods if they are not going to be eaten within 4 hours. Bacteria can grow quickly at room temperature.

Wash produce.

Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables in running tap water to remove dirt and grime that you can see.